Jaci Dawn

I put the flag out on my way to work this morning and left it up for Donald to take down. That’s all I did for Flag Day (I think it is all you are supposed to do).

The other things I did today included working, playing a part in a miracle, worrying about dog names and purchasing things for said dog. It was not as busy a day as it might sound, but it was kind of spendy.

I suppose I should tell you about the part in a miracle, but it really wasn’t anything. I just made a decision based on someone else’s demeanor and I asked my superiors for permission to make that decision. And the affected person said (through tears), “It’s a miracle!” And I was left to contemplate my own role in helping a fellow human out who so obviously needed a hand up. I just listened to my heart.

We should all listen to our hearts.

Mentally, I spent most of the day ruminating over names. Before I go any further, I want to say that while I appreciate and “get” the reference to George, I have already eliminated it as a name. Sorry, Terry: the CFO of our company named a kitten George from the same cartoon. So George has been taken.

Lokai is in the running. Below is a list of names I’ve considered, including the ones I eliminated:

Lucky

Speckles (we had a cat named Speckos, so that is OUT). Likewise: Buddie and Jasper and Butchy. (Butchy was a dog, not a cat, but you get the picture. Former pet names cannot be used twice.) (I don’t know WHY. I just made up that rule, OK?)

Harpo

Bilbo or Frodo (but Gimli is out)

Charlie (but I probably shouldn’t because my mother-in-law’s cat was named Charlie and he just died a couple months ago. Scratch that: former pet name in my immediate sphere.)

I ran through place names, but there aren’t any good place names that represent places I like to be (or places I have been) that are also good dog names: Alvord? Ely? Reno? Boise? Baker? Hokkaido? No, no, no.

How about other animal names, like “Bear”? Well, I knew a Bear, but he was a scaredy-cat Chow-chow. And I don’t want a name that gives the dog permission to be ferocious. Elk? Coyote? Moose?

I may consider Moose.

A color is out and so is a candy bar. Hersheys, Blue, Snickers, Uno, Red… Did you know that all of the Irish Setters in Jim Kjelgaard’s Big Red youth series were named Red something? How original. (I read every one of those books at least three times. Along with “White Fang” and “Call of the Wild” (Buck) and all the Black Stallion, Golden Stallion and Flicka stories.) “Mutt” was the name of Farley Mowat’s “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be” and that doesn’t fit, either. Scratch story book dog names (and horse names).

Stretch.

I tried actors, musicians, bands that I like. Somehow the dog is not a Led Zeppelin, George Strait, Jim Pipkin or Jackson Browne. Well, Jackson is nice, but I don’t want a dog with a name that resembles my own. My mother had a dog named Mr. Tack, affectionately known as “Tacky”. She would get mad and yell at all of us: “Terry! Jackie! Deni! Tacky!” Tacky was considered one of us kids. It was really awful when she forgot she was speaking to me and said, “Tacky, take out the garbage. Or Jackie. Whatever your name is.”

Tacky was a Schnauzer.

I think I have exhausted my favorite novels, actors, car models, animals, colors, shapes (Stripe is high on my list after the cartoon dog in the comic strip Tiger).

In other news, finding the dog was just a step. It is forcing Don’s hand to build the dog kennel we purchased over a year ago and still have not put up. We do have a fenced yard, but it is not secure (a dog could crawl under or possible jump over one section). I need a temporary dog run for the dog, so I purchased one tonight.

That was fun. I found one that I likes at one site for $64. Same one at another site for $62. The first one offered a wire mesh top (very wise idea) for $49. The other site offered the same top for $24. Hmmmm. I work in a mathematical field… So I went through the steps to order the cheaper one and all was good until I got to S&H page. EEEP: cheap site wanted $65 S&H for STANDARD shipping. I ordered through the pricier site & got 3-day shipping for $10 more than the cheap site & standard shipping. Does that make your head hurt?

I still won’t have a portable dog run until Friday & the dog comes home as soon as Wednesday… YAY. Any ideas???? I can’t take time off…

Now that I have bored you with my dog, I am going to say good night. And expect to hear more about the dog. I think I’m going to be overwhelmed…